


book thief

by Liryczna



Category: Shards of the Sun
Genre: Gen, Stealing, they are there hiding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-01
Updated: 2017-03-01
Packaged: 2018-09-27 18:56:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10040036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Liryczna/pseuds/Liryczna
Summary: The first book is an honest accident.





	

The first book is an honest accident. Cosimo takes it with his own papers, a pile way too high to hold comfortably, and then forgets to return it. The book stands on his desk like a grim reminder of the approaching death, but nobody notices, or maybe nobody cares.

 

He takes a second one, still with half a heart to return it, then three more. Then he thinks of taking them home with him, and the rest of his conscience goes out of the window. He knows kids who can use it but never will be able to afford coming here, like Tarya or the small boy from the end of the street who always climbed trees. The next morning there are at least seven new ones, and he starts to plan how to conceal them, but one of those he took before talks about artifacts, and that solves the problem quite quickly. He is sure nobody will miss the small bag of holding he spirits from the archives.

 

The note he finds on one of his crime scenes next week almost makes him want to return the books he took, but then he thinks again and writes back, a simple infuriating "no" with a dot at the end. The string of curses stuck between books the next day is quite inventive, but his answer is calm. The conversation somehow evolves to incorporate badgers, and he always has at least one letter when he goes out to steal.

  
(He notices something moving in the shadows, but never tries to find it. It allows him to pass and he is not going to risk his skin checking what it is.)


End file.
